Lead generation marketing aims at attracting prospective customers and increasing their interest in your product or service. It is the first critical step in the sales funnel.
Just like any other aspect of digital marketing, lead generation constantly evolves, introducing new tactics and tools. And that’s why staying on top of the trends matters so much here — using the latest strategies will help you drive high-quality leads to your business.
Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic forced many companies to switch to digital engagement models, which increased buyer awareness and made remote buying more reliable. You want to ensure you know how to use these to your advantage and identify tools that will help you make the most out of new opportunities.
Here are the top five lead generation trends marketers should look out for in 2023:
Marketing Automation Platforms
Digital marketing has become more complex, and so has the process of generating leads. Fortunately, marketing automation platforms make it easier to manage your lead generation campaigns, track their performance, and make them more efficient.
Nowadays, you can benefit from either specific software tools designed to automate particular tasks or versatile all-in-one marketing platforms that enable in-depth data collection and analysis, taking the guesswork out of your marketing campaigns.
Automation allows you to quickly identify and qualify leads, personalize your outreach, and send automated follow-ups. You can use such software solutions to automate a wide range of marketing tasks, from email marketing and social media campaigns to targeted ads and even direct mail campaigns (here, you can read more about types of direct mail).
Besides, using marketing automation platforms will help improve your customer segmentation. You’ll be able to target your audience more accurately and deliver more personalized messages. As a result, you’ll see an increase in conversions.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach that focuses on key accounts with the highest potential for generating revenue within a specific market. The idea behind ABM is to concentrate resources and nurture relationships on a set of target accounts and turn them into long-term customers instead of implementing broad-reaching marketing campaigns.
According to SiriusDecisions’ 2016 State of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Study, nearly 92% of B2B companies stated that ABM was “extremely” or “very” important to their marketing efforts, delivering a higher return on investment (ROI) for 87% of marketers.
ABM requires a deep understanding of your target accounts, their specific needs and pain points, and the decision-makers within these organizations. Once you obtain this information, you can develop targeted content and personalized outreach campaigns specifically for these accounts.
A smaller number of targeted accounts will also enable easier tracking and measurement, which is a win-win scenario for both businesses and clients.
Interactive Content
When it comes to lead generation, content is still king. But it’s not enough to just publish blog posts and hope for the best. You need to create content that will capture your audience’s attention and make them want to learn more about your product or service. And that’s where interactive content comes in.
Interactive content is any type of content that requires the audience to take some action, such as answering a quiz, playing a game, filling out a form, etc. This type of content is more engaging than passive content because it doesn’t just provide information but involves the audience and makes them part of the experience.
For instance, some reports state that adding videos to your email content can boost click rates up to 300%, while interactive email content increases the rate of click-to-open by 73%.
Some examples of interactive content include quizzes, polls, surveys, infographics, calculators, and assessments.
Video Marketing
Speaking of engaging content, we cannot pass by video marketing trends. Video is one of the internet’s most popular types of content, so it’s no surprise that video marketing is on the rise.
It is an engaging and visually appealing type of content that can capture your audience’s attention and hold it for longer than other mediums. What’s more, videos are versatile — you can use them for various purposes, such as creating brand awareness, introducing new products on the market, or educating your audience.
To make the most out of a video marketing strategy, you need to create videos that are interesting, informative, and entertaining at the same time. You also want to ensure you optimize your videos for search engines and post them on widely accessible video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube and Vimeo.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that involves working with popular social media users, also known as influencers, to promote your product or service. Influencer marketing is effective because it allows you to tap into the influencer’s audience. When done right, it can help you boost brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, and generate leads.
To make the most out of influencer marketing, you need to partner with influencers who have an engaged following in your industry. You also want to make sure you give them creative freedom so that they can produce content that resonates with their audience and doesn’t feel unnatural.
Some of the most popular platforms for influencer marketing include YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
In Conclusion
Lead generation is a vital part of any successful marketing strategy. Because of that, it would be best if you did your due diligence and worked on improving yours as much as possible.
To maintain a competitive advantage, you must be up-to-date with the latest trends. From utilizing marketing automation tools to collaborating with influencers, there are plenty of ways to drive high-quality leads to your business — make sure to stick with those that reflect your business goals the best.
Remember that trends come and go, so you need to stay flexible. The ability to adjust and adopt new practices quickly ensures that you stay afloat and ahead of the competition. Good luck!